Matriarch
As her title implies she is the Matriarch of the Chinese Amazons Profile Appearance While Loofah, Soap and Cologne are all old, they retained a feeling of energy about them that made it believable that they could perform the astonishing feats that they are capable of. The Matriarch however one can not even begin to guess how old she is. Her arms are thin and frail, only a few straggling strands of hair remain on her head, and her eyes are dim and clouded. She has a cane, but unlike the elders she needs it to support herself. Biography |-|The Dark Lords of Nerima= In Chapter 16: New Arrivals, Using remote-control acupressure they had a pilot fly them to Japan. When they arrived they came down the street, not in any specific formation, but moving with obvious coordination nonetheless. A large throng of women, all different ages and builds, armed to the teeth with all kinds of weapons. Swords, staves, bows, spears, maces, throwing knives, and even a few custom designs that Ranma had never seen before. An exact count was difficult, but he guessed that there had to be at least two hundred of them. The female warriors began to file into the restaurant, quickly packing out the main dining area and overflowing into the kitchen area, pushing him back along with them. Eventually the flow stopped, but even as it did, all eyes turned back to the doorway, expectantly. The Matriarch was carried in a richly ornamented palanquin by four Joketsuzoku warriors, wearing matching uniforms and with matching swords strapped across their backs. All the Joketsuzoku dropped to their knees as she approached, leaving only Ranma uncomfortably upright. Cologne greeted the Matriarch who returned in kind her voice warm and collected for all that it was weak and barely audible. Rising up along with the others Cologne explained what was going on. The revelation that one of Beryl's Generals had supported their enemy’s most recent foray in person was met with low murmur passing through the assembled warriors. However the Matriarch remained unperturbed and asked her to continue. With this Cologne smiled as she related the good news of Jedite’s defeat by Ranma. The Matriarch hobbled slowly over to stand in front of the pigtailed fighter, the crowd of Joketsuzoku parting to make way for her. greeting him she asked him for his appraisal of Jedite’s strength. As the Matriarch spoke to him with focus and sincerity Ranma fore went his typically cocky response and answered her with brutal honesty. Afterwards the day progressed onward, the Joketsuzoku contingent splitting off naturally into various groups as they milled around, a dozen different conversations going on at any given moment. Loofah had kept him busy for the first hour or so, pulling him away to grill him in more exacting detail on all his various confrontations with the Dark Kingdom—every ability, every tactic, everything he'd seen them do. Loofah was interrupted from her observation of the Joketsuzoku warriors by the Matriarch asking her read of the situation. Loofah answered that it didn’t look good. Though she did inform the Matriarch of the plan Ranma came up with. The morning passed into afternoon, and the afternoon into evening, the warriors of the Joketsuzoku coming and going on the various tasks assigned to them by the elders. Eventually night fell, and the small army began to search for places to bunk down. Many packed themselves into the Nekohanten, while others headed out to camp in various parks scattered across the ward. The four elders were not preparing for sleep, however. They were preparing for something much rarer and graver. Cologne, Soap, Loofah and the Matriarch all sat at a small table in a room of the Nekohanten. They were arranged in the traditional order of the Council. Loofah, holding the seat of the Warrior, sat at the Matriarch's right, while Soap, holding the seat of the Healer, sat at her left. Cologne, holding the seat of the Sage, sat facing the leader of their tribe. The Matriarch asked Altine questions provided to her by the elders beforehand. Cologne’s question was “By what means were the Dark Kingdom, Beryl, and Metallia defeated in the end?” Soap’s question was if there was any other force other then the Ginzuisho that could defeat Metallia. Finally Loofah’s question was "What was the composition of Metallia's forces when they attacked?” Cologne listened as the Matriarch continued to ask questions, but only with half an ear as she wondered what to do about Brenda. At length, the room became silent, and Cologne realized with a start that the Matriarch had asked the final question that they had previously agreed on. The consultation was almost over. At the last second much to the shock of everyone Cologne asked Altine if she had ever heard of a youma abandoning the service of the Dark Kingdom. She replied that while it had never happened before the Queen always strove in all things to redeem evil when possible, rather than destroy it. Once the consultation had concluded—and she had apologized to the Matriarch for her rudeness—Cologne broke away from the other elders, wandering off to be alone with her thoughts. In Chapter 23: Wrapping Up, When the four members of the Joketsuzoku council were seated once more in one of the upper rooms of the Nekohanten, with Altine's glowing image again projected into the air at the center of the table they were gathered around. Cologne informed them of who the Senshi were. After Atline confirmed what she said they began to digest the implication of it. Soap had been working all night, treating the wounds of the Joketsuzoku warriors who had not been sent to Doctor Tofu's, and this was the first opportunity she'd had to safely leave for Council business. However hearing this information caused her to instantly forget about her weariness. Loofah however was still skeptical that they could defeat Metallia as Sailor Moon had yet to demonstrate the power one would expect of Serenity's line. Cologne stressed that they just needed time the Matriarch agreed that Sailor Moon must be allowed to grow into her power. As for them they must recover their strength so that when they time comes they would be ready to support her. |-|The Dark Lords Strike Back= In Chapter 1: Preparation, When Herb heard that Brenda was being taken to various villages to show proof of the Dark Kingdom threat. He went to Joketsuzoku with Mint and Lime as he wanted to see her for himself. They arrived just before Soap and Brenda and were greeted by Loofah and the Matriarch. Upon their arrival Soap greeted Herb asking him what brought him to the village. When he answered a furious Loofah told him that he had already agreed to help, but Herb replied that he wasn’t there for proof but simple curiosity. Brenda transformed back to her youma form and allowed Herb to examine her. Needless to say Herb was fascinated even more so when Brenda informed him that she was relatively weak as youma go. After completing his examination Herb informed the Matriarch she could on the full support of the Musk Dynasty when the time comes. His father would not be able to assist personally due to his old injuries, but Herb had full authority to lead his army into battle in his place. After the Matriarch thanked him the dragon prince left with his two companions. Brenda watched as Loofah glared at him wondering what had happened to give the old woman such animosity toward the Musk. When Brenda and Soap returned they were immediately brought to Loofah and the Matriarch, who listened to their report intently. The Matriarch thanked Brenda for her help and offered her anything she wanted as gratitude. After thinking it over Brenda asked if they had any esoteric medical knowledge that she could give to Dr Tofu. In Chapter 2: Converging, When the army was amassed they all went to Japan and gathered at the Nekohanten. The leaders of the respective clans met to discuss strategy in one of the upper rooms. When Meihui arrived her eyes remained fastened directly on Cologne who met it without flinching. The two exchanged greeting relaxing the tension in room giving the Matriarch the opportunity to begin the meeting. After greeting everyone she had a younger Joketsuzoku bring in Altine so she could finally show them the danger they were facing. Each member of the war council sat in silence, digesting the story they had heard from Altine's artifact. The gravity of the situation they faced hung over them like a cloud. The leader of the Yakusai Poisoners was the first to speak up asking what the plan was. Cologne then proceeded to walk them through what they’d spent many months preparing for. Since the path leading to Dark Kingdom the army had to divide itself into three groups, each taking a different route. Group One consist of the Joketsuzoku, the Yakusai Poisoners, and the Silk Lotus Tribe, led by Loofah. Group Two consist of the Jiuxue Mystics, the Phoenix People, and Lao Shihong's mercenary clan, led by Meihui. Group Three consist of the Musk Dynasty, the Tian Wu Swordsmen, and the Monks of the Third Enlightenment, led by Prince Herb. The leaders talked and argued for hours after that, going over the details of the plan. Ranma followed along as best he could, but large-scale battle tactics had never been his area of expertise. Still, eventually the leaders reached something resembling agreement, and one by one they started to leave to inform their respective troops. Category:Joketsuzoku Category:Characters Category:The Dark Lords of Nerima